“Luna?”
“Yes?”
“You know I’m not the only one sleeping tonight, right?”
“I’m sure our subjects can last one night without me watching over their dreams.”
“Sure, but—” Twilight looked over her shoulder, “—it’s been five nights. In a row.”
Luna turned away to hide her blush, “They can get by for a week or two, I’m sure.”
After all, they lasted a thousand years without me. Luna thought.
Twilight sat silently, flipping through one of the many books that surrounded her.
Luna looked around, gazing at the bookcases that lined the endless walls on either side of the two mares.
“How big is this library?” She asked.
“I don’t know. I lost track after wing five hundred and thirty.”
Luna blinked, “…And how many books are in each wing?”
Twilight let out a long yawn. Then looked up for a moment, quietly counting to herself, “About three thousand, give or take.”
“H-how—”
“Don’t think about it too hard. It’s just something I picked up a while ago.”
How does one simply ‘pick up’ something like this?
Luna, taking a moment to question Twilight’s sanity, looked over the unicorn’s shoulder, “So what is it that you’re reading?”
“A book,” Twilight said as she flipped another page.
Luna sat back, tapping her forehooves together softly.
A few minutes later, Twilight closed the book she was reading and stretched, letting out a faint moan, “Welp, I’m done reading for tonight.”
“What now?” Luna asked. “We still have five hours ‘til daylight.”
Twilight stood up, “Hmmm…I think I might practice.”
“Practice?”
Oh Celestia
“Líesing!” A burst of pure white energy ripped though yet another building. Leaving the earth below it scorched. “And that makes twenty one.”
Twilight fell back down on all fours, “Might try mixing the fire spell in this time…” Her words trailed off into thought.
Luna shook her head, pulling herself out of a bewildered stare, “So…this is that ancient earth magic you told me about?”
Twilight walked over to her, “Yeah. I only ever get to practice it here, but the results are still the same when I do it outside of my dream world.”
“May I ask how it works?”
“It’s hard to explain the specifics, but here are the basics,” Twilight sat down next to Luna. “You know how earth ponies have a special kind of magic that helps them with growing crops?”
Luna nodded, “I am familiar, yes.”
“And you know that once a pony ascends into being an Alicorn, that she gains the magic of all three races, right?”
Nods
“That being said, even after I—” she let out a deep sigh, “—lost my magic, I still retained the core earth magic.”
“I see.”
“Well ancient earth magic revolves around an earth pony’s ability to use the energy in the environment around them, like so.”
A sapling materialized in front of them. Twilight planted a hoof on the ground next to it, and closed her eyes. The sapling twitched, then twisted and turned as it grew into a small tree.
Luna stared at the now grown tree, “That I have not seen before.”
Twilight continued, “What ancient earth magic is, essentially, is using the energy from the environment around you and channeling it through your body.”
“And that is all?” Luna asked, breaking her attention away from the tree.
“No. It also requires a lot of concentration. Each spell is also attached to certain words and phrases, so you have to say them out loud.”
Luna chuckled quietly to herself. Reminds me of those cartoons my sister watches.
“I think I understand,” Luna said.
“Good!”
Twilight stood up, and the world around drained away like water down a sink. The two mares now stood in a black void.
“How much time do we have till daylight?”
“One more hour. Do you need me to wake you up in the morning, Twilight?”
“To tell the truth, I’d rather sleep in. It’s not often I get a chance to rest like I have the past few days.”
“I see,” Luna took a moment to think. “Shall I go then? I wouldn’t want to overstay my welcome.”
“Well…” she looked to the side. “I wouldn’t mind the company.”
Luna looked back up at Twilight with gleaming eyes, “Really?”
Twilight chuckled, “I need to make up for lost time somehow, right?”
The next night, Luna and Twilight rested in Twilight’s dream library. For a while they sat in silence as Twilight read through one of the many books around her.
Twilight stood up and turned around, “Hey, Luna”
“Yes, Twilight?”
“I was wondering…” Twilight looked down at her forehooves. “Is Celestia disappointed in me?”
“Why would my sister be disappointed in you? She was very delighted to see you when you came back to us.”
“Well, over the past few days, I’ve tried talking to her. She told me she was happy that you were teaching me modern Equestrian,” she looked up at Luna, then back down, rubbing her foreleg. “But her voice, the way she talked to me, it felt weird. She didn’t look at me as her old student or an old friend,” she paused for a moment, letting her head drop down. “She looked at me the way you would look at a lost puppy. Our conversations always ended up awkward and silent, with one of us making an excuse to be somewhere else.”
Luna stepped closer, placing her hoof on Twilight’s shoulder, “You have been gone for a long time, Twilight. I can assure you that she will come around in due time. It took her and I months to talk to one another as sisters again.”
“Yeah, I guess,” she turned away. “It’s not like I’m pressed for time anyways.”
Luna’s hoof slowly dropped to the floor. I have to do something. Think Luna, think!
“Twilight, can I show you something?”
Twilight turned around, “Sure, what is it?”
“Close your eyes.”
“Alright,” Twilight shut her eyes.
Twilight’s dream library faded away, leaving them in a black void. The darkness of the ground drained away, leaving it light gray. Large indentations — craters — formed in the near distance. A blanket of stars unfurled across the night sky, giving texture to the vast, empty nothing.
“Go ahead, Twilight. Open your eyes.”
Twilight opened her eyes, then gazed on the beaten landscape around them. “Where are we?”
“Turn around and you’ll see.”
Twilight looked behind her, “Oh my gosh.” She stood there with her mouth wide open, “Luna, this is—”
“What I marveled at for a thousand years. Even through the eyes of Nightmare Moon, I could still bask in its beauty.” Luna stood next to Twilight, “A beauty only rivaled by someone who is very dear to me.”
Twilight looked up at Luna, “And who’s that?”
“You will find out someday, Twilight.”
Before Twilight could ask any further, Luna turned away and closed her eyes, “I will be back, Twilight. It seems I am being pulled away for a moment. It will not be long.”
“Take your time, I’ll be fine,” Twilight said with a half-smile.
Luna nodded, then stepped forward, leaving Twilight's dreamscape.
“Girls! No, don’t run! I’m coming! Just hold on, please!”
Twilight ran as fast as she could, but each step she took brought her two steps back. She felt her blood burn through her body as she tried to cast magic that wasn’t there. Her screams fell on deaf ears as her old friends faded into the distance.
“Please!” she called. “Come back. Don’t go…”
Luna hopped into Twilight’s dream to find her sitting on the ground, leaning forward with her forelegs between her hind legs, as her tears fell to the floor.
“Twil—”
“Why?” she wailed. “Why me? Of all the ponies in the world, why give me such amazing friends, just to take them away from me?” her voice clung to the pain in her heart as her words poured out of her mouth.
Twilight…
Luna stepped forward towards her slowly. Each step she took rippled on the ground like water. Twilight, through her watery eyes, saw the ripples flow below her.
She turned head, her eyes met with Luna’s, “Luna.”
“I am here, Twili—”
“Luna!” Twilight cried, twisting her body as she stumbled over to Luna, tripping over her own hooves. She clung to Luna, holding her tight as she pressed her head into her shoulder.
Luna wrapped her forelegs around her as they collapsed to the floor. She sat with Twilight crying into her chest.
“Luna…it’s getting worse.”
Luna pet her mane slowly, “It will get better.”
“Their names, their faces, our adventures we had,” she looked up at her. “They’re gone. It’s all gone, Luna.”
“They are not gone. And I am still here.”
“What if you’re aren’t? What if I wake up tomorrow and you’re gone too?”
Luna pressed Twilight into her chest, “I will never leave you, Twilight. You have my word.”
Twilight looked up at her, the side her muzzle resting on Luna’s chest, “You’ve done so much for me.” She gripped onto her tighter, “I don’t know how I could ever repay you.”
“Being with you is all I could ever ask for, Twilight. You are the light that welcomes my night sky. I should be thanking you for trusting in me to be by your side.”
Twilight shifted looking down, still pressed against her chest.
Why is she quiet? Did I say something wrong?
Luna looked down at her, “Twilight?”
“I need you to do something for me.”
Luna cocked her head slightly, “Anything, just ask.”
Twilight pulled away and stood up, glancing at Luna for a moment before she looked to the side, “If the day comes where I’m not here—” she turned towards Luna, closing her eyes as she smiled, “—don’t forget about me, okay?”